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Dozen eggs! On the way!!

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Vampyroteuthis

Very excited to share that I ordered 12 eggs this afternoon that should be here within 24 hrs.

They were laid about two days ago and, from what I have been told, will hatch anytime between two weeks and a month from now? Going to make a trip to the beach to investigate amphipod collection soon. Will order mysids as soon as the first one is hatched.

Vampyroteuthis

Good luck!
I hope they work out for you. Keep us posted.
I will add, for all's benefit, I find most amphipods in tide pools nesting under rocks in good numbers. For instance, a 14" square rock may have 30 or 40 under it. I also notice more of them up nearer the high tide mark in pools that have macro algae in them. I like to gather some of the rubble, sand, and algae as well. A lot of them are over 1" and have a male (I think) attached under them. I have been collecting about every 3 weeks for a few months now and keep them in a 20 long and have had better survival (more than 3 weeks) the more I aerate so have added a higher volume pump and 2 more air stones.
I believe the tiniest ones would be very good first foods for our dwarf cuttlefish. They seem to be hatching and growing in captivity. I have been feeding tiny "shrimp pellets" - Spectrum sinking marine fish food. After feeding I will see the amphipods carrying the pellets so I assume they are eating them.
If you are a long drive from the collection spot, I would take as much water as you can and add a battery powered air pump and stone to your bucket. I cannot be 100% sure, but high mortality seems most likely due to low oxygen as I have witnessed an entire bucket (maybe 200 pods) die over night w/ no air / circulation.

Vampyroteuthis

two hatched last night. gradual color changes. swimming around well when i maneuver stuff in their net. so, laid on May 2. hatched on may 27. 25 day incubation. specific gravity .024ish with consistent top-offs. temps around 78-82. they fluctuate slightly in reaction to the air temps in the house. ive put amphipods of varying size in with them for when they find their appetites. also going to the lfs to pick up a bottle of tigger pods and some cheato. going to create a little back-up refuge style food supply for when i cant make it to the beach, like this weekend. memorial day weekend+jersey shore=disaster. hafta wait till next weekend to refresh my stores. its actually great that i decided to try getting live food for it. i figured out a great place to collect shore shrimp that my tuskfish has become quite fond of.

Vampyroteuthis

reread the cuttlefish care article again today and was reminded of the issue of removing fouled eggs and material. having two hatchlings already at home, i decided it was prudent of me to figure out what to clean away from the bunch of eggs that remained. as i inspected the bunch, i realized there were a handful of questionable eggs that didnt look too good anymore. there was no motion from any of them as i inspected with a light and pair of surgical scissors. i snipped. out came cuttle #3. i immediately decided that i was unqualified to decide what constituted fouled eggs or material and put the whole lot back in the net. so, now there are 3..
not sure if either of the other two have eaten yet, but there are a variety of amphipods in the net for them to chose from.

so, question: do the eggs deflate somewhat pre-hatch?? cause there all looking a bit sickly.

Vampyroteuthis

woke up this morning to one live cuttle and one dead cuttle and one MISSING cuttle! not sure what happened. the one remaining definitely looks like he/she is bigger and eating. there is only one amphipod left in the net. have not seen it eat yet though. so, my report isnt great, but not horrible. probably going to order more from paradise pets so i can have a group. hopefully, things will go a little better. not feeling too optimistic about the last bunch of eggs. they're almost nothing at this point.
ill take a pic of my lil dude when i can figure out how to get my camera to focus on him. he/she's pretty cute.

Vampyroteuthis

i have a pretty inaccessible overflow on the other side of the tank from their net. i wouldnt have thought that there was any way for the little guy to get out, but im fairly confident that there's only one cuttle in the tank, especially, now since its been several hours since i first checked.